Ferryboat Campsites marks 40th year along the river

Jane and Randy Wallis recently held a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of their business, Ferryboat Campsites, along the beautiful Susquehanna River near Liverpool where they also live.

Randy's father, Robert, his uncle, Bud, and brother-in-law, Jim Zeiders, purchased the property, which then consisted of 13 sites and two ferryboats in 1968. The campground has remained in the family ever since, although the ferryboats have been sold to the Millersburg Ferryboat Preservation Association.

Randy, who was in college at the time, has vivid memories of the 1972 flood when Hurricane Agnes raised havoc in Pennsylvania. Under extreme flooding conditions, ferryboat captain Jack Dillman, who now captains the Pride of the Susquehanna, and Randy worked side by side to pump out the boats and keep them from sinking.

"We went out on a small boat to reach the ferryboats while houses and trailers floated past us," said Randy. "I knew if we didn't pump them out they would be lost forever.'

The boats survived, as did the campground which had grown to 100 sites, although the original concession stand was lost. Randy continued to work there during the summer while on break from college until he graduated in 1974.

"Then my Dad said, here are the books," said Randy. "I took over the business still wet behind the ears.'

He took another big step in 1975 when he and Jane married and moved into one of two of the houses on the campground property. They were quickly initiated into the business when Hurricane Eloise struck the same year, leaving three feet of water in their house. Shortly after, they raised the foundation.

While the couple took over daily operations of the campgrounds, Jane continued to work as a nurse with Jones, Daly, and Coldern Association of Mechanicsburg. In addition, she worked in the store and took over the role of activities manager, continuing the bingo games and church services that Randy's father, Robert, and mother, Blanche, started in 1968.

"The church services, which are nondenominational, still are conducted by Robert and Blanche, along with gospel groups we bring in each week," said Jane.

The campground office and store were in the second house on the property, an old 1888 house that once was used as a boardinghouse and stopover for travelers who used the ferry.

Randy did everything from running the store and taking reservations to mowing the grass and cleaning bathrooms.

The couple are grateful for the help of Robert and Blanche and Jane's parents, the late Shirley and Gerald Bowers of Tunkhannock, who began camping there in 1976.

About that time, the couple decided to expand the number of campsites, but learned they would have to build a sewer treatment plant. They built the plant and increased the number of sites to 175. In 1979 they added a new store, office and game room built on stilts.

"I was easily working 14 hours a day," said Randy. "That's when we hired Wanda Zarker to run the office and Bill Breault to help me with maintenance.'

Zarker still works in the office and is their longest serving employee.

"Hiring them took some of the load off me," said Randy. "Things began to gel and we started making money.'

They also started their family with the birth of Kristen, and three years later, Jordan.

"Our kids probably had the best environment to grow up in and they got to meet so many people," Jane said.

Both helped around the campground, with Kristen first running the mini golf and then, at age 15, working in the store.

"Jordan was known as the pied piper of the campground," said Jane. "He always had kids following him around.' He entertained the kids and later helped with outside maintenance.

In 1989, they brought Jane's brother, Mark, on board as campground manager. He moved into the old house.

"If it weren't for Mark, we wouldn't get away from the place," said Randy, who noted that he and Jane enjoy spending time in Rehoboth Beach. "Mark does a lot of the maintenance.'

In 1990, they decided to sell the ferryboats, now owned by the Millersburg Ferryboat Preservation Association which recently got a $90,000 grant to restore the second boat which hasn't been in use.

They also continued to expand the campgrounds, adding two cabins and three cottages in 1992, and building the recreation hall and pavilions in 1996. Both of the facilities frequently are rented for special occasions.

In 2001, they added tubes, rafts and kayaks for use on the river.

"They are constantly booked up," said Jane. "Our golf cart rentals also are very popular.'

On July 4, 2006, the weather forecast called for a major flood like 1972. Fortunately, the forecast was wrong about the storm's intensity, but it still created a huge headache.

"It was a nightmare on one of our busiest weekends," Jane said. "We evacuated our house and the store, but campers kept calling wanting to keep their reservations even though the sites were underwater.' The campground has about 200 seasonal campers and camping clubs which reserve space for their gatherings.

"We get a lot of campers from other countries including Germany, Sweden, Australia, Austria, England and France," said Jane. "They fly into New York and Canada and rent a motor home to tour the country. Our campsites are on the list of stops because they want to see the river and the historical ferryboat.'

This is the best staff we've ever had, noted Randy, including camper volunteers Jim and Sandy Bice, Dave Salerno, and Jaggers and Diane Crumlich.

"We've also had many relatives and high school and college kids work here over the years," said Randy.

Jane and Randy greeted more than 200 guests to their 40th anniversary party on July 26.

"It's a landmark year," said Randy. "We've had celebrations before but this was special because my mother and father are still here to enjoy it.'

While guests enjoyed cake and ice cream, Robert Wallis and Capt. Jack Dillman shared some memories and the history of the campsites and ferryboats.

Hank Anderson, 80, who began camping there in 1968 and remains a camper today, was honored as the longest tenured camper. He received an anniversary hat and a gift certificate for the store.

"Its something to be proud of," said Randy. "Despite all of the hard work, we've been able to keep things up and running.'

The campground now consists of 285 modern shaded campsites overlooking the Susquehanna, where campers enjoy a multitude of activities.

For more information, readers may contact 444-3200 or ferryboat@tricountyi.net.